A Letter to YOUth

Dear Youth,

"You can't move mountains while sitting on your backside." That’s what Ephraim K. Hanks said. And he’s right. You can’t do anything by sitting and doing nothing. We’ve got to be doers, people who “go and do, [not] sit and stew.”¹ And yeah, sometimes that can be hard but it’s always worth it in the end.

I already mentioned Ephraim Hanks, now let me tell you about him because he’s a perfect example of a doer though he started out as what you might call a problem child. Or, at least, that's how his parents thought of him. Either way, Ephraim ended up running away from home at 16 and spending the next three years on a ship. At the end of those years, he felt he needed to go home where he met up with his brother Sidney. It was Sidney who introduced Ephraim to the Mormon Church. Ephraim would later go on to join the Mormon Battalion and after that he acted as a currier.

Now Ephraim is known for his rescue. This is what happened: One night Ephraim heard a voice say, “The handcart people need help. Will you go?” He answered, “Yes; I will go if I am called.” The next morning on his way to Salt Lake City to talk to President Brigham Young, Ephraim ran into a messenger from the President. The messenger informed Ephraim that President Young wanted to speak with him. When Ephraim got to Salt Lake, he met with President Young and several other men. President Young explained that there were still saints out on the plains and with winter approaching fast, they would need help. Many of the men committed to help, saying they’d be ready soon. Ephraim went the extra mile. In complete confidence he stated, “I am ready now.” And he was. Ephraim went out and, going through a blizzard, he found the handcart people and was able to provide the food and strength they needed. And trust me, they needed it. With very little food and many people suffering from frostbite, Ephraim’s aid was greatly appreciated.

And what about you? Are you ready? There will be many blizzards in our lives that we have to be prepared to push through so we can get to the people in need. Every Boy Scout knows to “be prepared,” it’s their motto. Being prepared is so important, especially today. With so many negative influences out there, we must be prepared now. Not tomorrow, not next month, now. If you’re not prepared yet, then you’d better start now because time is ticking. Now is the time, now is when we need to be ready. Get prepared and be able to say, “I am ready now.” You don’t have any time to lose.

Footnotes

1. John Bytheway.

Bibliography

Ephraim's Rescue. Dir. T. C. Christensen. Perf. Darin Southam and Katherine Nelson and James Gaisford. Excel Entertainment, 2013. DVD.

Hanks, Ephraim. "Ephraim Hanks." N.p., 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.